Sports
Santa Margarita's Girls Score Milestone Soccer Victory Over Northridge Academy
Lauren Bohaboy scores four goals to reach 100 for her career and coach Chuck Morales gets 300th victory as Eagles roll to an 8-0 victory in SoCal Regionals.
Just in case an impressive victory over a CIF section champion wasn't enough, Santa Margarita's girls soccer team tallied two milestones in Monday's 8-0 victory over Northridge Academy. A convincing win in the opening round of the Southern California Regional Division II Championships was headlined by senior Lauren Bohaboy's 100th career goal and Chuck Morales' 300th victory as head coach of the program.
The Eagles made quick work of Northridge (14-4), a squad that claimed its first City Section small schools title last week. Santa Margarita (25-4-3) scored seven goals in the first half before playing keep-away for the final 40 minutes of the match at Santa Ana Stadium.
Bohaboy scored three times in the first 17 minutes of action. The forward, who is committed to play for defending national champion Notre Dame, notched her fourth goal of the game early in the second half to bring her four-year scoring total to the century mark.
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"Lauren is an extremely rare player," Morales said. "She's a true scoring machine and such a strong player. I know she's going to do great at the college level."
Sophomore Jennifer Donegan scored in the closing minutes of the first half to extend the Eagles’ advantage to 7-0 at intermission. Santa Margarita provided a statement with its powerful play, after losing to San Clemente on penalty kicks in the Southern Section Division I semifinals six days ago.
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“Losing in PKs was a tough way to go down,” senior Taylor Krebs said. “It feels good to have another opportunity to end on a positive, so this was great.”
Santa Margarita showed exceptional sportsmanship after Bohaboy’s 100th goal. The Eagles never again attacked offensively during the game’s final 30 minutes, content to distribute the ball around the field and milk the clock.
“We had already made our point,” Morales said. “I told our girls at halftime that it was important to show compassion for the opponent in this kind of situation.”
As time trickled down in the second half, another remarkable milestone approached. Morales, who has won a dozen league titles and five CIF section championships, led the Eagles to victory for the 300th time.
Krebs, who has been taught the sport by Morales since her elementary school days, discussed her coach's influence after the victory.
“He has trained me to become a better player since I was about 8 years old,” Krebs said. “No one is better at keeping a team positive and reaching its potential. Coach always has us playing our best.”
Santa Margarita athletic director Richard Schaaf presented Morales with an honorary trophy during a post-game ceremony.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Santa Margarita,” Morales said. “This a very humbling experience. God has been good to me.”
The Eagles advance to the second round of regionals, where Coronado of the San Diego Section awaits. The game begins at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and will be held, again, at Santa Ana Stadium.
